Park Board tables new PCCS agreements

After an experimental summer with some of its clients working in Robe-Ann Park, Putnam County Comprehensive Service (PCCS) Executive Director Andrew Ranck has asked the Greencastle Park Board to extend that relationship.

Last summer PCCS clients manned the concession stand at the Aquatics Center and others worked in maintenance at the park.

Ranck initiated extension discussions at the Park Board’s special Jan. 23 meeting and returned Thursday night in hopes of nailing down the project parameters.

However, with the Park Board operating without President Tim Trigg, it voted unanimously to table the PCCS requests until the March 6 meeting.

PCCS last summer operated the concession stand at the pool, including ordering and pricing. Ranck said PCCS only lost $450 in the process, and he thinks he started readying the stand a week too early, resulting in much of the loss as staff was being paid without sales occurring.

He also said he started rolling out the project to PCCS clients a little too late last year, resulting in only eight people being interested in the snack shop positions.

The city contracted with PCCS to run the concession stand on a trial basis last summer after incurring big losses the previous year.

Ranck has stressed that the concession stand would basically feature the same snack offerings as last summer, which means no fried foods like french fries. PCCS is not interested in frying foods, he said.

Park Assistant Director Chrysta Snellenberger told Ranck there seemed to be some miscommunication last summer as the concessions people were reportedly asked to work pool party rental nights but did not show up to run the concession stand.

Ranck promised to look into that and remedy the situation.

Meanwhile, the maintenance relationship is something Park Director Rod Weinschenk wants to look into modifying. He would like to hire one of the three PCCS workers who did park maintenance last summer as a part-timer for the city and even as part of the mowing crew.

Ranck, as he had in January, was happy to hear that. “It’s a great story that one of our gentlemen gets hired into city employment.”

The PCCS clients doing maintenance at the park -- things like removing trash and debris and keeping park restrooms clean -- would work 8-11 a.m. Monday through Friday at $15 an hour for a period not to exceed 500 hours from April 1 to Oct. 31.

Those workers, however, often needed extra supervision last summer, Weinschenk said.

Ranck said he was unaware of any issue with the maintenance workers, noting that he would be glad to receive phone calls about any problems, especially if the work isn’t considered “up to snuff.”

Concession workers would be needed from the May 24 opening to the Sunday, Aug. 9 closing. The pool is due to stay open a few days after school starts to accommodate the annual National Night Out effort and a scheduled triathlon set for Saturday, Aug. 8.

In other business, the Park Board approved Graves Construction of Switz City -- which has a $767,676 contract to install three new slides and renovate the pool -- to also remove the old slide. Graves submitted a $6,262 bid to remove the old slide no later than Feb. 17.

Spiker Excavating of Greencastle was the only other bidder, submitting a $16,560 proposal.

“Graves could be more flexible on the Feb. 17 date,” Mayor Bill Dory suggested.

And was right as Graves workers began dismantling the slide late Monday morning.

“They’re kind of working with themselves really,” Park Board member Cathy Merrell said in making the motion to approve the Graves bid.

Park Director Weinschenk noted that since much of the slide is fiberglass, it cannot be recycled. However, the metal pieces of the slide can be, he said.

The board was also asked to consider bids on new lockers for the pool locker rooms. Weinschenk suggested recycled plastic lockers with coin-operated doors.

A low bid of $26,266 fitting that description was submitted by Lennox Plastic Coin-Op, Salt Lake City.

Other bids for stainless steel lockers -- which the city doesn’t want after its experience with the rusting lockers it has removed -- were received as $30,059 from Stainless Steel Lockers and $26,124 (not plastic) from Stainless Steel Box Lockers and $80,000 from Electronic Locker Systems.

“We do not have funds secured for this yet,” Weinschenk said, indicating he will need to pursue the project further with Mayor Dory and City Clerk-Treasurer Lynda Dunbar.

Weinschenk envisions two sets of lockers -- bigger ones at 15 X 15 inches and smaller versions big enough to hold a cellphone, wallet and towel at 12 X 12 inches.

He said the lockers could take either quarters or a token to be sold by the pool.

Merrell made the motion to pursue the locker replacement project further, which resulted in a unanimous vote.

In the final business of the evening Clint Cooper, representing Putnam County Youth Soccer, proposed replacing the wooden fencing around the soccer fields at Big Walnut Sports Park with six-foot-high black chain link fencing.

The wooden fencing is deteriorating badly, he said, and stray soccer balls aggravatingly roll under it. The six-foot proposal, which the soccer league hopes the city will fund, is estimated at $43,362.

A section running along the back of Crown Equipment Corp. is estimated at $24,360 for a four-foot fence that would also separate the Crown property from the People Pathways link.

Cooper said plans are to talk with Crown about its interest in funding that section of fencing.

Mayor Dory said the city will have to find the money for the project, noting that it will be necessary to put it out for formal bids to comply with State Board of Accounts regulations.

The soccer fencing issue was tabled for more information.

Joining Merrell for the February meeting were board members John Hennette and Joanna Muncie and ex-officio member Brittany Labhart representing Greencastle Schools. President Trigg was absent.

The next regularly scheduled session of the Park Board is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6 at City Hall.